Wednesday, June 30, 2010

It cracks me up that they have almost the same expression on their faces. I definitely see more of Paul in Jacinta. You can’t tell from this picture of Jacinta, but her hair is wearing off on the back and sides just like Veronica’s did – she is destined for the baby comb-over! I think Veronica may have been chunkier (and still is!), but Jacinta has her beat on length. Veronica needed a little something extra (like a box) under the Jumperoo so she could bounce at this age, but Jacinta can reach the ground just fine. Since the Jumperoo was a huge favorite of Veronica’s, I’m glad that it seems like Jacinta is going to like it as well.

Look at Veronica’s hair now. It really lightened up. It makes me wonder if Jacinta’s will get lighter, too. Only time will tell!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Veronica has gotten very artistic lately. She loves to color, not just with crayons, but with anything she can get her hands on. Her most recent favorites are a red pen and yellow highlighter. Although she does like Sharpies when she can get her hands on them.

After several incidents involving permanent scribbles on things like cabinets and desks, we hid the Sharpies. But Veronica still likes to whip out the pen and highlighter on occasion, especially since she is tall enough to see in the kitchen drawers now. After all, you never know when you’ll come across the perfect canvas.

Case in point: Jacinta’s face. This is what happens when you turn your back on a toddler wielding a highlighter.

Jacinta took it in stride. She needed a bath anyway.

She did give me the stink eye when I poured the water over her head though. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but the highlighter ink (which had quickly dulled to a garden variety yellow) became very fluorescent when it got wet.

Ahhhh….all clean. It came right off, no trace of Veronica’s handiwork left.

I think we either need a new home for our writing implements, or a child safety lock on the drawer they are kept in. Otherwise Jacinta may become the new favorite paper substitute. Once Veronica runs out of cabinets, anyway.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

1. For Father’s Day I had intended on getting up early and making breakfast. While the getting up early part didn’t so much happen, I was successful in making ham and egg breakfast sandwiches. Yum!

2. I finally paid my medical bills today. The only thing that was keeping me from doing it sooner was laziness…so yay for not being lazy!

3. I went to Jen Yates’ Cake Wrecks book signing on Monday night. Why is this a success? Because so often I bow out on special events, even when I really want to go, because I am too tired by the end of the day or have too many other things going on. I’d been looking forward to this book signing for over a month and I almost didn’t go because…well, I was tired and had too many other things going on. But I made myself get out the door and I’m so glad I did! It was a lot of fun, and Jen and her husband John are just as funny in person as they are on the blog. I even made a cupcake Wreplica! Wreck on!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

It’s the final day of the Imaginary Jesus blog tour, which is a little bittersweet because I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s posts about the book. There was so much that you could walk away with after reading Imaginary Jesus, it’s great to get different perspectives and see what other people were able to glean from this tall tale. Some of my favorites from the past few days:

I also wanted to take the opportunity to mention a contest that Matt is having on the Imaginary Jesus website. There are some great things to be won, but this in particular caught my eye: a $100 gift certificate to Powell’s bookstore!! If you haven’t been to Powell’s…you are missing out. It is a reader’s paradise. That is probably why the Powell’s scene from the book was one of my favorites. Imagine how many different Jesuses you could find in a bookstore! Matt has thought of them all, even Da Vinci Code Jesus, who doesn’t like Catholic Jesus much - that cracked me up. And Aslan the Jesus Lion. For some reason I keep hearing the theme from Disney’s “Lambert the Sheepish Lion” (3:25) when I read that…

It is impossible to highlight all the great posts on the tour, so check out the rest:

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

It seems like most of the other tourists who have posted so far agree that this is a funny book. Lots of laughing out loud. Lots of “Are you crazy?” looks from family members. Yes, I definitely laughed while I read this book. But I also cried.

You eventually find out that the root of Matt’s Imaginary Jesus problem is the pain of an unanswered prayer. Matt and his wife lost a baby to miscarriage, and he didn’t understand how Jesus could let that happen. This struck me on a very personal level, because my husband and I have also experienced the loss of a miscarriage.

While it’s not something I necessarily kept a secret, I never really talked about it much. It was our first pregnancy and it was the last thing I expected to happen. As I read Matt’s story I remembered feeling many of the same things that he described. A shred of hope, because Jesus can do anything. Saying the words, “I don’t want this to be happening.” Then feeling abandoned because our prayers weren’t answered.

I had a lot of difficulty praying for a long time after, because I didn’t see the point. I had prayed for plenty of silly things during my lifetime, trivial things, but this was one time when it really mattered. And God didn’t answer my prayer. As Matt said, “I know he has power. If he were helpless, I wouldn’t feel betrayed by him.” That perfectly describes how I felt at the time.

Eventually I found healing, especially when Veronica was born. Which is why I love the ending of the book so much! And even though I still don’t understand why God allowed our miscarriage, I trust in his wisdom and ultimate love. It didn’t happen overnight, but I’ve recovered my belief in the power of prayer. It reminds me of a plaque that one of my friends has in her bathroom: “God always answers prayers. Sometimes the answer is no.” Which makes a lot more sense than the idea that he doesn’t answer prayers at all. As a parent I also have to say no even if my toddler doesn’t understand why, and God is our Father after all. Isn’t that a comforting thought?

Monday, June 21, 2010

I LOVED this month’s tour book: Imaginary Jesus, by Matt Mikalatos. I really had no idea what to expect, other than it involved Jesus and was probably pretty funny. And it was. VERY funny! I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit, startling my husband and children.

Paul’s reaction: raised eyebrow.

Veronica’s reaction: laughter, even though she had no idea what I was laughing at.

Jacinta’s reaction: tears. I think I scared her.

But not only was it funny, it also addressed something that I think I’d always realized in the back of mind, but had never seen spelled out before (at least not quite like this). We as humans, and specifically Christians, have the tendency to make Jesus into what is convenient for us. Instead of picking up the cross and following him like He asks us to, we create an “Imaginary” Jesus that approves of the things that are important to us and shares our interests, whatever they may be. So instead of us following Him, in a way we make Him (at least, the Imaginary Him) follow us. Seeing this illustrated in a fun story, or parable if you will, made it very clear to me that I do this quite often in my own life. And I even know some of the Imaginary Jesuses from the book!

More to come over the next two days, but in the meantime, check out Matt’s blog, which is hilarious.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

1. I made lasagna for dinner last night. BUT…instead of using sauce from a jar like I usually do, I made my own! That’s something that has always intimidated me a little bit. I guess I have The Pioneer Woman to thank since her recipes have made me branch out of my comfort zone. Thanks, Ree!

2. I scored 5 tanks for $2 each at Old Navy this weekend! I actually made myself get up early on Saturday to be there when they opened. I normally hate that type of bargain shopping – the crowds, the pushing and shoving – but everyone was really nice and the employees were very organized. I was in and out of the store in 20 minutes.

3. I made some cloth wipes out of an old receiving blanket. I’d been meaning to do this for a while because I’ve been short on wipes since Jacinta was born. Now I have 16 more, so that should be plenty!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

When I went back to work after Veronica was born, I brought her to the office with me on Tuesday mornings since we don’t see patients until noon. She would just hang out in her car seat or bouncy chair and hopefully nap. I’d take a break if she got hungry. She was a great baby and it was really easy for me to breeze through some work.

Until she became mobile. Then the exploring began.

“I’ll get it, Mama!”

So eventually I stopped coming into the office on Tuesdays, except for an hour or so while we have our weekly staff meeting. And now I bring both girls with me. It works great because my co-workers help me keep them happy. If I have to deal with a fussy Jacinta, then Maria will help keep Veronica entertained (or fed, depending on the day). Or vice-versa. Minus the fed part.

But sometimes, Veronica entertains herself.

“I’m ready for my new job, Mama!”

“Hmmm…What does this key do?”

“Cathy, there is no way you are getting your seat back!”

“Would you like to make a follow-up appointment?”

She’s just growing up so fast!

Veronica, I know you were excited about the keyboard. But you don’t need to get a job for a couple more years at least.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

May 28th marked our fifth anniversary as a married couple. I think I say this every year, but it feels both long and short to me. Like: “Wow has it been 5 years already?” and also: “Wow it feels like we’ve been married forever, not just 5 years!” And I mean that in a good way. Married life has suited us both so well, and we are so comfortable and at home with each other, it is hard to remember what it was like when we had to say goodbye at the end of each night. And really, I don’t want to remember. I love lying in bed and knowing that Paul is right there next to me, and that he’ll be there when I wake up in the morning. Or at 2 am if Jacinta needs a snack, or Veronica needs a refill of her “bink”.

Last Thursday, we managed to escape for dinner to celebrate our anniversary thanks to Mamae and Papae. We went to Rock Bottom Brewery, which is one of our favorite restaurants.

It didn’t take long for Paul to finish off his first glass. We belong to the mug club, so we get extra big glasses when we order beer. Great…but potentially dangerous!

Because I am a bit more susceptible to the effects of alcohol, I drank mine more slowly. I was trying to look sassy in this picture, like “Ha! You finished yours already, but look what I am drinking over here! Bam!” But I think I only succeeded in looking drunk. I wasn’t though. Really.

Every time we go to Rock Bottom, we order either Pub Tips with Brown Ale Mushroom Sauce, or Chicken Fried Chicken…with Brown Ale Mushroom Sauce. I was really looking forward to our meal. Alas, it was not to be. They just revamped their menu a few weeks ago, and the Brown Ale Mushroom Sauce no longer exists. Neither do the Pub Tips. There was Chicken Fried Chicken, but I just didn’t have the heart to order it without the sauce. We split a Raspberry Chipotle Pork Chop instead. It was good, but it was no Pub Tips. Curse you, Rock Bottom! Curse yoooooooouuuuuu!

Paul was still sad about his empty beer glass, so he tried to pounce on mine. No way, Jose Pablo!

Here is Paul finally cradling his Saguaro Stout. I prefer Raptor Red, but the stout is very tasty, too.

As a bonus, it was Thursday Pint Night, so we got a free pint glass each with our beer. Also, we had managed to earn enough points on our Mug Club Card to get a third pint glass. Woo! I love these. Yes…they are dirty. I couldn’t wait to use them, and then I didn’t want to waste precious blogging time actually washing them before I took pictures. Aren’t you glad I have my priorities straight? Me too.

So even with the lack of Brown Ale Mushroom Sauce, it was a fun night out with Paul. I can truly say I am blessed to have such a wonderful man to call my husband. Honey, I love you more than yesterday…